Air cleaner



Aug. 5, 1929.

H. G. KAMRATH A I R CLEANER Filed Aug. 29, 1925 Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,723,421 PATENT. OFFICE.

HERBERT G. KARATE, OI FLINT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOB TO A O SPARK PLUG OOH- PANY, FLINT, MICHIGAN, A COMPANY 01 MICHIGAN.

AIR CLEANER.

' Application flied August 29, 1985. Serial No. 53,341.

In air cleaners of the type which have gone into extensive use in connection with the internal combustion engines of motor "vehicles and wherein separation of dust articles is effected by taking advantage of t eir greater momentum resulting from their greater mass as .compared with the mass of the molecules composing the air stream, it has heretofore been common practice to provide a dust receptacle for the collection of the foreign particles so separated. In very dusty regions these receptacles must be emptied with considerable frequenc To avoid this inconvenience I have devised an air cleaner in which the dust particles are automatically ejected after separation from the air stream. I have referably embodied this improvement in a c eanerof the type in which the entering air stream performs a whirling motion between the inlet and the outlet, the dust particles being thrown to the periphery ofthe stream.

Specificall I have devised an air cleaner which com rises a casing one end of which is open an preferably faces a blast of air such as is furnished by the usual automobile fan or which may be produced as a consequence of the motion of the vehicle. The essential parts of the cleaner are a device for imparting a whirling motion "to the air stream, this being preferably arranged in the open end of the casing; an outlet for the dust laden air arranged at the rearvof the casing and adjacent the periphery thereof, an outlet for pure air which is preferably located at or adjacent the center of the easing, and a shield to protect the last named outlet against the direct entrance of portions of the air current. With this construction the blast of air enteringthe casing is set whirling, throwing the heavier particles of dust to the outside of the stream, whence they are discharged through the'opening or openings provided for that purpose; the purified air now turns back upon itself reverses its direction a second time and enters the air outlet, the double reversal in movement of the air stream further assisting in the separation of any dust particles which may remain in the stream. The outlet may, if desired, be provided with an air straightener.

It is a further and incidental object of this invention to improve generally upon air cleaners of the t pe described by forming the alndirecting b ades which serve to impart this whlrling motion to the entering air stream of a peculiar construction which is adapted to permit easy entrance to the air and to give to it the required rotation without any sudden change in direction. This and other details of construction are set forth at length in the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in sect1on of my improved cleaner;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1, parts belng broken away to better show the construction; and

Figure 3 is a developed view illustrating the shape of blades;

Figure 4 is a view on line 4.4 of Figure 1.

The reference character 2 indicates the casing which is preferably cylindrical in form having an open end denoted by the reference character 4, and a substantially closed end denoted by the reference character 6. The open end of the casing faces a blast of air which is customarily produced either by the conventional cooling fan. or as a result of motion of the vehicle or by a, combination of these two agencies. The entering air is received by blades 8 preferably spirally arranged, and adapted to impart a spiral motion to the air stream. The edges of the blades which first meet the entering air are rounded as shown at 10 and the blades are curved in the direction of their length as shown in Figure 3 but straighten out as their inner ends are approached. The blades, are either secured to or formed integral with the cone shaped member 12 and at their outer extremities are provided with 95 outwardly turned lips 14 which fit an outwardl turned flange 16 providedat theopen end 0 the casing.

In the rear casing wall 6 adjacent the periphery, I have provided arcuate slots 18 t rough which the outer portions of the whirling air stream containing the principal portion of the dust content are discharged.-

a central aperture in the shield 12 and is provided with a nut 28 which, when drawn up, serves to clamp the parts in assembled relation.

In operation the air under pressure meeting the cone. shaped member 12 and the curved vanes 8 is gradually directed in a thin whirling stream along the casing wall and continues this motion until it reaches the closed end of the casing where the outer dust laden portions of the air stream are discharged through the openings 18. The current of air then reverses itself and travels toward the open end of the casing and within the confines of the shield 12, whereupon it again reverses its direction and passes outwardly through the conduit 20, the air straightener 24 serving to facilitate its passage. The reversals in direction functlon to assist in the separation of dust particles.

I claim:

1. An air cleaner comprising a substantially cylindrical casing having a closed end and an open end, an axially positioned clean air outlet tube extending into the casing through the closed end thereof, a fitting in the open end of the casing comprising a shield for said outlet tube and a plurahty of air directing vanes extending radially outward from the shield, said fitting being provided with an abutment cooperating with the open end of the casing to l1m1t the inward movement of the fitting and a connection between said fitting and the outlet tube for holding the parts in assembled relat-ion.

2. An air cleaner comprising a substantially cylindrical casing having a closed end provided with a central aperture and an open end, a clean air outlet tube fitted in said aperture, said tube being provided with an abutment engaging the closed end of the casing for limiting the inward movement of the tube, a fitting secured in the open end of the casing comprising a shield for the said outlet tube and a plurality of air directing vanes extending from the shield toward the casing wall, and a connection between said fitting and outlet tube for holding the parts in assembled relation.

3. An air cleaner comprising a substantially cylindrical casing having a closed end provided with a central aperture and an open end, an axiallypositioned clean air outlet tube fitted in said aperture, said tube and easing being provided with cooperating abutting parts to limit the inward movement of the tube, a fitting in the open end of the casing comprising a shield for the outlet tube and a plurality of air directing vanes extending from the shield to the easing, wall, said fitting and easing being provided with cooperating abuttin parts to limit inward movement of the ttmg, and a tension device connecting said tube and fitting for drawing said parts into engagement with the casing to hold them in as sembled relation.

4. An air cleaner comprising a substantially cylindrical casing having an open end and a closed end, said casing being slightly flared at said open end, an axially positioned clean air outlet extending into the casing through the closed end thereof, a fitting in the open end of the casing comprising a shield for the said outlet and a plurality of air directing vanes extending therefrom toward the casing wall, said vanes being provided with an abutment cooperating with the flared open end of the casing to limit the inward movement of the fitting, and a connection between said fitting and clean air outlet to secure the parts in assembled relation.

5. An air cleaner comprising a substantially cylindrical casing having a closed end and an open end, an axially positioned clean air outlet tube extending into the casing through the closed end thereof, a fitting in the open end of the casing comprising a shield for the outlet tube and a plurality of air directing vanes extending radially outward from the shield and adapted to give the entering air a whirling motion, and means connecting the shield and tube including an air straightener for converting the whirling motion of the air into straight line motion as it enters the clean air outlet.

6. An air cleaner comprising a substantially cylindrical casing having a closed end and an open end, an axially positioned clean air outlet tube extending into the casing through the closed end thereof, a fitting in the open end of the casing comprising a shield for the outlet tube and a plurality of air directing vanes extending radially outward from the shield and adapted to give the entering air a whirling motion, an air straightener in said tube, and a member secured to the straightener and projecting through the shield and having its free end provided with a clamping means for enga ing the shield to secure the parts in assembled relation.

7. An aircleanercomprisingasubstantially cylindrical casing having a closed end and an open end, an axially positioned clean air out-let fitting extending into the casing through the closed end thereof, an air directing fitting in the open end of the casing for imparting a whirling motion to the air, at least one of said fittings being provided with means abutting the casing and preventing relative movement of the parts in one direction, and a connection between said fittings for holding the parts in assembled relation including an air straightener for converting the whirling motion of the air into straight line motion as the air is dis charged through the clean air outlet.

recting vanes extending radiall from the shield to impart a whirling motion to the entering air, and an air stral htener associated with the entrance to said 0 ean air outlet for converting the whirling motion of the air into straight line motion as it leaves 15 the casing through said outlet.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

H. G. KAMRATH.

outward 1o 

